"Barcelona entered the new season a centre-back short as they allowed Inigo Martinez to leave for Saudi Arabia, but did not sign a replacement. With Andreas Christensen spending time out injured for a while and now Ronald Araujo being away from action due to mental health issues, Hansi Flick has never had a full set of centre-halves available at his disposal."
"And the experiment has worked a treat, as Martin has performed admirably in his new position in the last three La Liga matches. Even though he delivered solid performances in back-to-back matches against Athletic Club and Alaves, there were some reservations about him playing at centre-back vs Atletico Madrid. But Flick trusted the 23-year-old youngster to step up, and his faith was not misplaced."
"Martin's future was questioned during the summer. Two Premier League offers arrived, and Barça were willing to explore them because both Everton and Wolverhampton were prepared to pay around €15 million. However, the left-back did not want to leave. Barcelona had even contacted Alejandro Grimaldo as an option to strengthen the left-back position in case the former UD Cornella starlet departed, but in the end, nothing changed."
Barcelona began the season without a replacement after Inigo Martinez left for Saudi Arabia. Andreas Christensen suffered injuries and Ronald Araujo is unavailable for mental health reasons, leaving Hansi Flick short of centre-halves. The coaching staff deployed Gerard Martin as a makeshift left-sided centre-back alongside Pau Cubarsi. Martin produced solid performances in matches against Athletic Club, Alaves and Atletico Madrid, earning Flick's trust. Martin's emergence has led the club to postpone plans to sign a centre-back in January, with transfer planning for the position deferred to the summer. Martin previously rejected Premier League offers and will now see more prominence in central defence.
Read at Barca Universal
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